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Adriana and her French photographer husband, Frederic Laouenan, bought the rundown '60s villa in Sao Paulo three years ago. But it wasn't until she fell pregnant with her daughter Amalie one year after moving in that the couple decided to stop "camping out" and make some major home improvements.
"We tried our luck with two different architects but we didn't get anywhere," explains Adriana. So the couple decided to go it alone, settling for minor modifications and low-cost solutions rather than a full redesign. Extra windows and glass doors were added, while walls were knocked back to give rooms an open, light-filled ambience.
Original parquet floors, although beautiful, didn't quite fit into the aesthetic Adriana had in mind. White polished polyurethane resin flooring, the chosen substitute, is more in keeping with the original, organic curves of the villa's '60s architecture.
When it came to furnishing the home, Adriana kept her options open with a pale backdrop. "I fell pregnant and we needed to renovate quickly, so the easiest option was to go with white," she explains. "I knew that I would eventually add colour since I'm drawn to colour all around - in my life and work.”
Once the renovations were complete, it was a full year until the house was furnished. For 10 years, due to indecision, Adriana lived without a sofa, waiting to find "just the right one". When their friend Houssein Jarouche from [Sao Paulo design and furniture store] Micasa approached Adriana to use her handmade printed textiles for a sleek designer custom-made sofa (on page 26), Adriana jumped at the chance. "The first time I saw the sofa upholstered in my Garden fabric, I almost cried," remembers Adriana. For the designer, who studied interior design in Italy before going into the fashion industry, a dream had been realised.
Finding her special sofa was the impetus for Adriana to tackle the home's decor. It gave her the courage to personalise the classic Swan chair by Arne Jacobsen that sits in the living area, now on proud display, playfully reupholstered with her handmade fabric remnants.
After completing the structural work, boxes upon boxes were waiting to be unpacked and displayed throughout the villa. Some of Adriana's more whimsical touches include a potted twig branch (see page 31) festooned with ornaments, lights, butterflies and birds in the guest bedroom, a Philippe Starck garden gnome (page 32) in the hall and a colourful quilt in the main bedroom, which is also made from leftover fabric remnants.
Design books, travel mementos, signage, vintage printed textiles, religious icons, quirky design pieces and family photos all tell a story and, befitting the ever-evolving life and style of a successful fashion designer, there is room enough for each and every one.
< Once the renovations were complete, it was a full year until the house was furnished. For 10 years, due to indecision, Adriana lived without a sofa, waiting to find "just the right one". When their friend Houssein Jarouche from [S110 Paulo design and furniture store] Micasa approached Adriana to use her handmade printed textiles for a sleek designer custom-made sofa (on page 26), Adriana jumped at the chance. "The first time I saw the sofa upholstered in my Garden fabric, I almost cried," remembers Adriana. For the designer, who studied interior design in Italy before going into the fashion industry, a dream had been realised.
Finding her special sofa was the impetus for Adriana to tackle the home's decor. It gave her the courage to personalise the classic Swan chair by Arne Jacobsen that sits in the living area, now on proud display, playfully reupholstered with her handmade fabric remnants.
After completing the structural work, boxes upon boxes were waiting to be unpacked and displayed throughout the villa. Some of Adriana's more whimsical touches include a potted twig branch (see page 31) festooned with ornaments, lights, butterflies and birds in the guest bedroom, a Philippe Starck garden gnome (page 32) in the hall and a colourful quilt in the main bedroom, which is also made from leftover fabric remnants.
Design books, travel mementos, signage, vintage printed textiles, religious icons, quirky design pieces and family photos all tell a story and, befitting the ever-evolving life and style of a successful fashion designer, there is room enough for each and every one.
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